New protests set in troubled Venezuela

CARACAS: Opponents and backers of Venezuela’s embattled President Nicolas Maduro announced new marches for Wednesday after violence in ongoing anti-government protests that have left five people dead. Both sides promised to hold sway across Caracas on the heels of two weeks of demonstrations that also have seen 117 people arrested. The latest in more than a week of violent clashes erupted overnight Thursday to Friday in the town of Los Teques near the capital. Protesters mounted barricades and hurled Molotov cocktails, and police fired tear gas, photographs on social media showed. The demonstrations are expected to be the next big showdown in an increasingly fraught crisis that has raised international concerns about Venezuela’s stability. The opposition is demanding the authorities set a date for postponed regional elections.